New archaeological discoveries in Sharjah's Jebel Fayah (United Arab Emirates) showed that human settlements existed in the area over 85,000 years ago. Excavation work was carried out as part of a joint programme between the Directorate of Antiquities at the Culture and Information Department in Sharjah and the Institute of Prehistoric Studies and Research at the German University of Tubengin.
The two-month excavation showed the existence of a deeper layer at the depth of four metres below the surface, which dates back to at least 100,000 years. This coincides with the time when man left Africa and reached Australia around 50,000 years ago. It had been assumed for hereditary reasons that man moved from East Africa to the south of the Arabian Peninsula and then to the northern coasts of the Indian ocean and South Asia. During times when the sea level was low, people crossed to the islands now known as Indonesia, which proves that they had some knowledge of navigation that allowed them to sail to Australia.